Recently, 21 students and their parents gathered at L.C. Sammons Youth Center for an outdoor classroom experience on Hicks Creek. The students were Cub Scouts Pack 340 West, ARK Council led by Phyllis Henley and Town and Country Clovers 4-H Club members led by Karyn Graves.

The Cub Scouts and 4-H'ers learned about the interaction between a spring-fed stream, a pond and the larger Hicks Creek, as well as to discuss the importance of stream health, maintaining a vegetated buffer near creek edges and the effects of pollution in urban creeks and streams.

Lynn Green, Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers Stream Team educator and Master Naturalist members of Friends led the hike and cleanup.

After the learning session, the two groups picked up trash in and around the creek. They found numerous plastic bags, Styrofoam and filtered cigarette butts, which are not biodegradable.

Each Cub Scout and 4-Her was awarded a small magnifier to help observe the macro invertebrates in the creek and enjoyed snacks and beverages.

"This cleanup helps the kids think globally and act locally to preserve and improve the environment. The outing is a part of the World Conservation Project which encourages youth to understand that through our natural resources we are interdependent," said Henley.

Coordinating the educational outing and cleanup were Lynn Green, Rose Linear, Ashley Rodman, Emma Raborn and Barb Bremmer of North Central Chapter of Master Naturalists and Jane Darr of Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers.

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Cub Scouts, 4-Her's think globally, act locally

Recently, 21 students and their parents gathered at L.C. Sammons Youth Center for an outdoor classroom experience on Hicks Creek.